Experience London fine dining, in a secret spot, at an absolute bargain price, while saving the planet

Escape the tourists hordes of Borough Market, to enjoy a tasting menu of fine dining dishes, using seasonal surplus

“When you get to the massive vat of risotto, turn left, go past some trestles of vegetables and it’s sort of straight ahead” I said, trying to describe the location of “Turnips”, a fine dining restaurant concealed behind a large and very impressive vegetable stall in Borough Market.

I had better start by admitting that I don’t like Borough Market very much. It’s always crowded and I dislike crowds - but Borough Market has the worst sort of crowd, the really slow moving, gawping type, a desperately-lacking-in-gorm crowd. And I don’t much like any of the street food stalls there either, terribly overpriced. These days there are far better places for street food elsewhere in London (a newsletter on this coming soon)

So if I were to tell you that Turnips is a glorious sanctuary from the hordes of Borough Market, a little oasis of space, then you should believe me. And if I also told you, that for the next month or so, you can experience gorgeous tasting menus at about half the price they are usually, well then you might consider buying me a massive bucket of chardonnay at The Globe (a good Borough Market pub, also a bit of a sanctuary)

I’ve been to Turnips three times in three very different circumstances. The first was a PR lunch, where I learned lots about the concept of the restaurant - and that sounds horrific, but actually it was immense and fun. The restaurant is a collaboration between Charlie Foster (5th generation greengrocer, whose father moved the family fruit and veg stall to its current location in Borough Market) and Chef Tomas Lidakevicius. It all started as a pop-up in the middle of the 2020 lockdown, but evolved into something more permanent - tasting menus with delicately crafted, seasonally appropriate beautiful dishes.

I don’t think I have ever met a chef who doesn’t claim their cooking is dictated by seasonal ingredients. I’d actually be really impressed to meet one who says “No, mate, I’m not that bothered about seasonality, I prefer to cook stuff from tins and the freezer, then mix it up with some ropey crap from Dutch greenhouses or some jetlagged out of season produce from South America,”

Chef Tomas Lidakevicius takes seasonal cooking to an extreme. His menu is dictated first by the microseasons, then by what is on the stall that day. You sometimes see one of the kitchen team heading out with a bowl to grab a few bits and bobs from the stall that surrounds it.

I was blown away by the cooking. I was expecting something rustic and wholesome and, well, slightly peasanty. Instead, I was presented with the most wonderful onion I have eaten in my life, in a gorgeous foam, with fronds of dill, topped with caviar.

If you ever catch me saying “the humble onion/carrot/insert non-expensive ingredient here” then snatch my bucket of chardonnay off me and give me a firm shaking. Ingredients are all mighty, none more so than the onion. And Chef Tomas is the Oracle of Onions, the Archbishop of Allium, the Shaman of Shallots. I have often cried in the presence of onions, but before this occasion, only when I was chopping them. This is an onion that I would go to war for.

The second time I went with my fellow Arbitrix, Lebby for a working lunch. She too, was astonished by the onion and enjoyed sitting at our elegant table, watching the hordes queue for whatever they queue for (oysters, I think), our discussion of other people’s faults punctuated by the occasional rumble of an overhead train, or a shout from a vendor deep in the market. It’s a real vibe in there.

The final time I went with my crew of boys, three lovely men who allow me to boss them around and drag them to places for what they describe as “posh scran”. We went to Ikoyi before it got two stars. We have lunched on the terrace at Maene (also slightly hidden away). They too, were astonished by the onion and all the other courses. Our next gathering venue will be tricky to choose - Turnips is a hard act to follow.

Aside from showing off about how many times I have visited this place, the point of this newsletter is to share a glorious opportunity to enjoy Chef Tomas’ onions (or whatever else he decides to cook that day) at an utterly bargain price.

Dining at Turnips is always a pretty sustainable affair, ingredient-led seasonal etc. I have spent a lot of time writing about sustainability in restaurants, interviewing chefs, visiting pioneers and leaders in the field and I am really into it. It just makes sense to eat things that are at their best and not to waste stuff.

Last year Chef Tomas trialled an iniative called “Fight THE SYSTEM” (for once, despite my dyslexia, that isn’t a typo, the upper case is intended). “The idea came from the discontent and apathy we all seem to be feeling. We want to set aside cost to celebrate seasonality and have some fun in our style,” says Chef Tomas. The menu will change almost daily, it might even change within a service - so prepare to be surprised. I’m shoving photos of dishes I ate at Turnips, through this newsletter just so you get an idea of his exquisite presentation and correct cooking. Please do share photos with us if you go - we’d love to see what you enjoyed.

What this boils down to is a menu designed around surplus ingredients from the kitchen, the market stand and a trusted network of suppliers. Greengrocer Charlie Foster explains further: "Surplus isn't poor quality food. It is often just the result of over-ordering, or not meeting aesthetic standards with an imperfect appearance. By collecting whatever is surplus from our suppliers, we can still guarantee the best ingredients for our menus, carefully selected according to our criteria for the very best fruits and vegetables, but at a much lower price”.

Ah yes, the much lower price. Now this is rather super. Lunch Tasting Menu £38, Dinner Tasting Menu £60, Wine Pairing (low and no-intervention wines to add to the sustainable natural ethos) £50. Available from 16th of April to the 11th of May 2024.

Opening hours

Tuesday—Wednesday

Dinner 6.15pm-11pm

Thursday—Saturday

Lunch 12pm-3pm/Dinner 6.15pm-11pm

Reservations can be made online via their website HERE or by telephone on +44 (0)2073 578 356

See you in The Globe after.